Zonar, NSTA Offer New Round of Fleet Tech Management Grant

SEATTLE — Zonar and the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) are again offering the 2019 Don Carnahan Memorial Grant for up to $50,000 in fleet management technology for contractor members.

This will be the tenth year that Zonar and NSTA have partnered to offer the grant.

"Once a child boards a school bus, their safety is in the hands of a single bus driver — who is also responsible for a number of other students, route, and operational variables," said Blake Krapf, president of NSTA. "We’re happy to continue partnering with Zonar on this grant, knowing that Zonar has always made the safety of passengers on the road their top priority. Through our partnership, our members will have access to technology that makes it easier for them to protect the students that ride our buses every day."

Grant recipients can apply for Zonar fleet management technology, including Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting (EVIR); GPS fleet tracking with live delivery of vehicle performance, subsystem, and diagnostic information in one device (V4); student tracking (Z Pass); Ground Traffic Control web-based software; and real-time driver coaching (Zonar Coach).

"In a perfect world, every school bus fleet would be equipped with technology to accurately track routes, provide real-time vehicle performance reporting, and monitor the movement and location of each student passenger," said H. Kevin Mest, senior vice president of business development for Zonar, and vice chair of the NSTA safety and security committee. "While this isn’t currently possible for every fleet across thousands of districts, this grant allows contractors to up-level their safety, compliance, and efficiency using the many features of Zonar’s leading portfolio of solutions."

Since 2011, Zonar has donated more than $500,000 in technology grants to over a dozen contractors across the U.S. and Canada.

To be considered for this grant award, applicants must be a current NSTA member at the time of submission. Applications will be considered for full and partial grants for up to $50,000 in hardware costs.

For more information on the Don Carnahan Memorial Grant and to submit an application, go here.